Friday, November 7, 2014

Review Dirty Rowdy Thing

From the New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player, Book Two of the brand-new Wild Seasons series that started with Sweet Filthy Boy—a story of friends, love, and lust.

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other...which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.

3.5 Star Review by Lisa Kane

Harlow Vega is the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress and a producer. She is gorgeous, smart and ambitious. She is also fiercely loyal to her friends, Mia and Lola. Mia and Ansel's story was told in Sweet Filthy Boy. These three girls along with Ansel and his two friends, Finn and Oliver had one wild weekend in Vegas. The three couples married, and two of them (Finn and Harlow and Lola and Oliver) had their marriages desolved. But Mia and Ansel chose to stay married and that seems to have been a good decision. In spite of the fact that Mia lives in California and Ansel lives in France.

Harlow and Finn Roberts haven't seen much of each other since their crazy weekend in Vegas. She flew up to his hometown in Vancouver, Canada and had a passionate hookup again with him. But Finn is in charge of his family's fishing business and he had to get back to work so he put her in a cab to go to the airport to go home. (In my opinion that was a douche move on his part) "A girl like you is way more trouble than she's worth," he says with a smile. We can have sex, that's fine. But just so we're clear, that's all it is."I laugh. "I'm here for sex, not some deep bonding ritual."

After a disastrous one night stand Harlow is at Starbucks getting her morning cup of liquid energy when she realizes Finn is in line behind her. She figures he is in town for the grand opening of Oliver's new comic store business. They talk, the sparks are still there and they end up hooking up again while he's in town. But Finn isn't just there for his friend Oliver, he has a meeting scheduled that could change the bad luck his family is having with their business. But the opportunity makes Finn uncomfortable.

The sex between Finn and H is hotter than ever and is seems Finn has a kinky side to him. I am willing to bet tying all those fishermen knots has come in handy over the years. Finn drags the length of red rope up over my torso, coiling it around his hand. Reaching behind me, he slides the center of its length under my body and then crisscrosses it back and forth down across my torso. Looping it around one hand he coils it up one arm and then back over my chest to the other side. Wrapping it down around my other arm, he's softly bound my arms so each of my wrists stays at the sides of my hips. In the center, just below my belly button, he ties an intricate-and beautiful-knot.

One of their passionate encounters makes the two of them careless and Harlow wonders if there will be a reminder from their time together. Harlow is hurting right now. Her mom was diagnosed witbreast cancer and has started treatment. But for some reason, she hasn't shared that info with Finn, who lost his mom to the same disease when he was a kid.

Lots of good possibilities are coming Finn's way. One is being orchestrated by Harlow and when Finn finds out, he throws a hissy fit. Things end badly and Harlow wonders if that's it for the two of them.

I felt a disconnect with Finn's character. I understand his family's livelihood depends on him but he seemed to put that before his relationship with Harlow time after time. When she flew up to see him after their Vegas weekend, he blew her off after they had sex by putting her in a cab. (He already missed his shift on the boat, he couldn't be a little later-who was going to fire him?)

And he seems to be unnecessarily cruel by constantly pointing out the differences in their economic situations. Harlow had the good fortune to have parents who are successful, but she is no snob and works towards her own dreams.

"You look so out of place here, Snap.""I might have thought the same thing once about you, in my town," I tell him, "but I never would have said it. I liked seeing you there too much. I liked the way you stood out."

When Harlow oversteps her boundaries with Finn and tries to find a way for him to benefit financially from his boats, he goes ballistic on her and leaves without seeing her again. When she comes after him, he initially blows her off and insults her. In my opinion, he never pursued her the way she did him, and he needed to work harder than he did for their HEA.

"I left town because I had to get back here. And..." I pause, looking up at him. "I left town because I was pissed at Harlow for trying to find a way to save my business without talking to me."

I adored the Beautiful series and really enjoy Filthy Sweet Boy. Dirty Rowdy Thing has some great one liners and the sex is raw and gritty. I felt an instant connection to Harlow, but Finn and I-not so much.